Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-07-29
THE HOTEL KITCHEN DOOR.

+ THE HOTEL KITCHEN DOOR.
Many Curious Charities Dispensed by
Hotel Men in New York.
"There goes one of Them" said Clerk
Hord, of the Victoria hotel.
He pointed to a neatly dressed and gen.
tlemar1y appearing man, who was climb
ing up the first fight of stairs from the
Office He had been talking about the
charities dispensed by the hotels, and had
remarked that few people had any idea of
the amount given away by hotel propri-
etors every day.
81 don't believe there's hotel in New
York which does not daily feed a great
good deal of waste, especially where
hotels are run on the American plan at
SO much day, and there could be no bet
ter way of disposing of the surplus.
Every morning at the back kitchen door
of the Victoria you will find score or
more of poor people waiting for their dole.
The same sight can be seen at all the
other hotels"
'tBut about our friend who just went up
stairs? What has he to do with this back
door business?'
stOh, that's a horse of another color.
We have three grades Of charities. First
there are the poor people who make no dis
guise of their poverty and go direct to the
kitchen door. Then we have the semi
respectable element that comes to the
counter and asks for something to eat.
If they look shabby, as they generally do,
we refer them to the kitchen, where the
servants eat, and they get good meal.
But they can't get it every day. We keep
tally on the faces of these fellows, and
when they try to become chronic we chase
them off. The third class is the most
interesting. 1t is eminently genteel, like
the man you saw climbing the stairs to
the dining room few minutes ago. For
one reason Or another man may be
stranded in big town like this for days
at time. He has no friends, and until
relief comes he is half desperate. Scarcely
day passes when one of this class does
not come in here to the desk, tell his story,
and ask us to give him something to eat.
He is well dressed There is nothing in
his appearance that would offend any of
the guests in the dining room, which is
matter we have to consider, Of course. We
ask if he has ever been here before. He
SAYS no. If he was a regular we should
know him in minute, for we don't pro-
pose to run a caravansary for beats or
tramps. Then, in order to make him feel
the embarrassment of his position as little
as possible, we give him note to present
to the head waiter when he enters the
dining room, and he is treated with just
the same courtesy as one Of the regular
guests.
'tDe you know it is a funny thing, but
we have entertained many an angel I'M
awares in this way. Not a great while
ago very impressive looking man came
to the desk, and, saying he was in bad
luck and perfect stranger in the city,
asked us to give him breakfast. He
said he had just landed from Australia
and was awaiting a remittance from Eng
land. Well, we took no stock in that part
of his story, but he got the breakfast all
the same, and he was most profuse in his
thanks. It must have been nearly a
month before we saw him again. Then
he entered the hotel very modestly, recog-
nized the clerk who had befriended him
and asked for suite of rooms ON the par
lor floor. At the same time he asked the
clerk to take care Of about e2, 900, mostly
in English money. 1t turned out that he
was the young son of an English lord,
who had been trotting around the globe
and had simply missed connections when
he reached New York. He was with us
for three months, and before he left had
knocked large hole in that e2, 900.
II could mention a great many other
instances where our charity patients have
turned up tramps. That's pure luck.
We never think of it when we oblige
them, but we naturally get the benefit if
their ship comes inn
"You will never find such charities dis
pensed," said Clerk Wall, of the Hoff-
man, sat hotels where all the dining is
done la carte, as it is here. Whatever
charities we have to give are bestowed
outright in money. You can see at
glance that where every meal is cooked to
order there can't be the waste there would
be in hotel run on the American plan, at
SO much day, where more or less waste
is always to be found. New York Sun
F1orida's Razor Backs.
We have seen his long tusks divide
dog like sword we have seen panther
so terribly wounded that the poor cat
crept off in despair to die, while the hog
rocked not of flowing blood from his own
neck and shoulder, but promptly chal-
lenged renewal Of the fight. At Tocio
lately hog made it point to stand on
the track whenever be saw the locomotive
coming, and the considerate engineer
stopped for four successive days to drive
him off. At last, tired of humanity
which aroused no gratitude, the train
hands assembled by invitation to see that
hog demolished. He was on the track
awaiting his doom, and extra speed was
drawn from fat pine hurled into the fur
mace with malice prepense. The hog
raised his head in surprise when no stop
was made, and seeing his danger, started
at gallop down the track. In vain the
engine rushed forward with maddening
speed, till coaches rocked and ladies
screamed in terror. When the train
reached Palatka the hog was eating waste
corn at Vertees' stable.
On another occasion the writer of this
was sleeping in camp, and around
lay pack of hounds who had often
proved that a bear at bay brought no ter
Tor to their hearts, and who carried scars
honorably earned in strife with the wildcat
and panther. But a number of these "a
zor backs came around in the dead of
night, and when the dogs attempted to
true and tried They swept off the dogs
and charged over the hunters. Blankets,
guns, cooking utensils, and fishing rods
became things of the past, and stout men
took refuge in the boats. Then, to save
the dogs, revolvers entered into the fray
and finally the fierce grunters moved off
in search Of pastures new. With the
early dawn came long, lean man who
carried rifle as long as himself, and he as
sessed the damages which the hogs should
have paid and carried off the slain,
which the victors did not want.-Palatka
News.
The Handwriting of Poets.
tsThe old idea that nearly all great lit
erary geniuses, especially poets, wrote